Dodgers Top Outfield Prospect Moving to New Position for Arizona Fall League

The center fielder will try his hand at a new spot after a breakout season.

Aug 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Los Angeles Dodgers hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Charles Davalan isn’t the only prospect who will be trying a new position soon in the Arizona Fall League.

For Davalan, the move from the outfield to second base comes amid a time of transition in the Dodgers' organizational depth chart.

Through Tuesday, Davalan had played more than 100 games in the field since his minor league debut. All came in left field (50) or center (60). According to Baseball America, Davalan will play second base for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

With the Dodgers' farm system awash in outfield prospects, the move makes sense.

Five different players have started a game at second base for the Dodgers through the season's first 152 games. One (Santiago Espinal) is no longer in the organization. Another (Miguel Rojas) is 37 and a free agent at the end of this year. Tommy Edman is a utility player whom the front office would rather not limit to a single defensive position.

The others, Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim, are good defenders but light hitters. That was not true of Davalan in 2026. The 41st overall pick in last year's draft, Davalan slashed .292/.402/.535 with 24 home runs in his first exposure to Midwest League pitching with advanced Class-A Great Lakes.

The Dodgers promoted Davalan to Double-A Tulsa on Sunday, and he hit a home run in Tulsa's first playoff game on Tuesday.

Positions for minor league players are often fungible. Where they start their professional journey in the field isn't always where they will play if and when they reach the big leagues.

That said, only three second basemen are ranked among the Dodgers' Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline. And all three (No. 13 Kellon Lindsey, No. 19 Logan Wagner and No. 23 Nico Perez) have another position listed next to their name besides second base.

If the position change becomes permanent, Davalan will instantly become one of the best hitting middle infield prospects in baseball. (He's currently ranked No. 86 by Pipeline nationally, with a 60-degree hit tool as his carrying attribute.)

More importantly for the Dodgers, Davalan could potentially push Kim and Freeland for playing time in a year or two — depending on how he progresses, and how the Dodgers' front office addresses the second base position in the offseason.

Coincidentally, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was a second baseman when he began to climb the Boston Red Sox's minor league ladder more than a decade ago. He moved to the outfield because the Red Sox had an established second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, manning the position in the big leagues.

Davalan's situation is essentially a reversal of Betts'. However, if the Dodgers' needs in the outfield change in the future, Betts' example shows there is always time to switch back.

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